Tony Blair calls on Remainers to ‘rise up’ and block Brexit

Tony Blair has issued a rallying call in a bid to reverse Brexit.

The former UK prime minister is expected to say in a speech later today delivered to pro-European campaign group Open Britain that his ‘mission’ is to get the country to change its mind on the referendum result.

He will say he is trying to ‘build support for finding a way out from the present rush over the cliff’s edge’, claiming people voted without ‘knowledge of the true terms of Brexit’.

Blair, who led the county for 10 years from 1997, will also take a swipe at those calling for a ‘Hard Brexit’.

‘The term Hard Brexit requires amendment. The policy is now ‘Brexit at any cost’,’ he will say.

‘Our challenge is to expose, relentlessly, the actual cost. To show how this decision was based on imperfect knowledge, which will now become informed knowledge.

‘To calculate in ‘easy to understand’ ways how proceeding will cause real damage to the country and its citizens and to build support for finding a way out from the present rush over the cliff’s edge.’

The speech comes after Blair intervened in the Brexit debate last October, describing the referendum result as a ‘catastrophe’ and stressing the views of the 16 million who voted should not be ignored.

‘If it becomes clear this is either a deal that doesn’t make it worth our while leaving, or alternatively a deal that’s going to be so serious in its implications, people may decide they don’t want to go,’ he said.

‘There’s got to be some way, either through Parliament, or an election, or possibly through another referendum, in which people express their view.’

Blair’s latest intervention was met with anger from the Leave camp.

Former member of the Cabinet Iain Duncan Smith described Blair’s comments as arrogant, utterly undemocratic and another sign the political elite is completely out of touch with the nation.

Meanwhile Richard Tice, co-chairman of Leave Means Leave, said: ‘There is some irony that Tony Blair will try to resurrect his political corpse tomorrow by trying to deceive the British people once again.

‘The EU referendum was democratic, fair and free and the British people voted for Brexit. Tony Blair is now trying to do everything he can to halt Brexit.’

February 17th, 2017: CityWire